Why Does Love Hurt?

"Faith, your bathroom seems really clean. I saw your students come out earlier," Veron commented.

"Ah, they disobeyed the rules, so there's punishment, and they're also fighting. So, I took care of the two cousins first." She said it while sighing.

"Ah, those two, Rodel and Niel, those two cousins are really close. Last month, the two were having problems; they were always fighting and sometimes even punching each other." Veron said so.

"They won't fight again, Veron." Mariely said it confidently to Veron.

"What did the two of them fight about?" Veron curiously asked that question of her.

She just laughed. "Love," she said.

Veron burst into laughter at that moment. "The new generations are very different from us; they already understand the concept of love better than we did at their age." Veron said while sobering up with that laugh.

"Yeah, but let's just leave it. We're here to guide them, aren't we?" She asked it of her friend.

Veron also reflected on that moment back then. "Oh, you're right, Faith. We are here as teachers to guide them to where they want to go." Veron realized it and nodded as she spoke.

Mariely just smiled then.

On a normal Saturday, to save on fare, her brother would drive her to where Mariely was reviewing for her board exam.

That was a quick day for Mariely. Now, she was busy helping her mother tidy the house because she could only help with chores on Sundays.

"El, you go grocery shopping first, okay? I just need to finish something," Mariel, her mother, said. 

"Yes, Mom." She just smiled.

"Your brother and his fiancée, Nadia, will accompany you." Her mother said so.

She just nodded. "Mom, are the shopping lists ready?" She asked her mother to remind her of the items she wants to buy at the grocery store.

"Ah, yes. I almost forgot." Her mother immediately gave Mariely the shopping lists.

"Mom, I'm leaving now."

Her mom just nodded and waved at her.

"Shall we go?" Nadia asked her.

"Okay." She just nodded.

They arrived at the supermarket in town right away. They accompanied Nadia, who was also going grocery shopping.

His older brother was also with them during the shopping.

"Oh, that's so expensive. Maybe it won't fit in Mom's budget." Mariely grimaced at the price when she faced the milk she was going to buy.

"Here, El. It's just cheap. That's 500 ml." Nadia said that and handed it over.

She immediately looked at what Nadia said.

"Oh, this is it. Thank you, Nadia." She smiled at her.

It just messed up its hair. 

"What else is listed there, Sis? Can we help you find it?" Her brother said so.

She gave her list to her older brother.

"Okay, I'll just look for it. Hon, I'll just look for this, okay? Go with El," her brother said.

Nadia just smiled then. "Yes, dear." It said.

They're always so sweet together. Even just looking at each other makes her giddy. Nadia just accompanied her back then.

"Nadia, what did you buy?" She asked this in turn.

"Ah, just household chores, El. You know, just like you, I was also ordered to buy and do some errands here." Nadia chuckled softly while saying it.

She just smiled.

"Oh, you're here, Yllana." She heard a male voice behind them.

They looked at it right away. She easily identified that man, who was a child of her principal. Until now, she still doesn't know his name; maybe she really forgot it.

"So your future sister-in-law is with you," he added, also looking at her.

Mariely's brow furrowed. 

"That's a miracle; you're here at the supermarket. Are you looking for victims again?" Nadia asked then, with her arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

The man just smirked. "You're so dramatic, you're almost Mrs. Celestial. Wasn't I invited to the wedding that's going to happen?" It asked.

Mariely just stayed silent back then. Mariely simply gazed at the pair. It's not her habit to interrupt conversations.

"We'll think about it. Six months is a really long time." Nadia replied.

The man just laughed softly. He looked at her.

"Nice to see you again." Frank is looking at her intently. "Are you still a crybaby after all this time? Maybe your students are always making you cry, huh?" He's teasing her again.

Mariely couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Frank. "You're still as bad-tempered as ever." She said it.

Frank smirked at her. "How's school going, by the way?" It approached her.

They were still staring at each other. His face was close to hers. "Can you share your day with me?" Frank whispered in her ear.

She got goosebumps from Frank doing it to her. She's not used to a man getting close to her and whispering in her ear. Someone suddenly pulled her arm, and she just leaned against her brother's chest.

"Can you just stop with your prank? You'd be better off helping your mother with the shopping instead of whatever you're doing, Zean." He said those words with the authority of her brother.

He just surrendered. "Calm down, Nathan. I was just asking about your sister to see how her work as a teacher is going." Frank also said that while he was staring at her.

"Are you the principal? As far as I know, your mother is the only principal." Nadia responded by crossing her arms.

Her heart was still pounding with fear at what the man in front of her had done. It's a good thing her brother pulled her away.

"By the way, I'm happy that you two are getting married." The man just smiled at her brother and Nadia.

"Let's go, Frank. No matter where you put you, right?" Mariely saw Ma'am Becca.

"Nadia and Nathan, I'm sorry about this. You know that this hasn't changed yet." Frank's mom added.

Nathan didn't just answer then; he was still holding her arm.

"Yeah, we'll go ahead." The man added.

The man looked at her again. The man gave him a meaningful smile before turning and following his mother.

When Frank was not in their sight, Nadia immediately asked her. "Are you okay?" Asked Nadia who was worried about her.

She just nodded. They were done grocery shopping by then. She was asleep in the backseat when she heard the two of them talking.

"I'm worried about Ely." This is what she heard from Nadia.

"If he even tries to hurt Ely once again, I'm the one facing that man." Her brother said the voice was threatening.

"You saw what he did to Ely earlier, didn't you? He's interested in your sister again. I'm afraid for El. She doesn't know how to handle a man like Zean yet; I'm afraid she might fall in love with him." Nadia's voice is full of concern.

Nathan didn't answer. Her brother just shrugged back then.

"I can't do anything if she loves that man once again. That's all I'm worried about. That man is playful. He doesn't care if he's loved. Damn this. When the day comes that he will do that to my own sister. He will face hell." This is what she heard from the two.

"Why did we have to send Ely away, making her transfer to a different school? It seems like the reason given was that Ely was having difficulty managing the section she was responsible for, correct?" This surprises Mariely even more.

"Shh. Calm down, dear. El might hear you. You know how much she loves to teach, and that naive sister of mine isn't simple to convince, you know that." Her brother said it; she felt it from that gaze in the side mirror.

Mariely even heard Nadia sigh back then.

"We've been doing this for a long time, Hon, and of all men, Zean shouldn't be allowed near your sister. It was my fault back then. I shouldn't have left Ely at the office that day." Nadia also said.

"Honey, that was a long time ago. It's not your fault. We'll find a way. I hope it's not too late."

Nadia just nodded softly back then. She hadn't heard it speak again, and concern and anxiety were evident on its face.